Genesis 1:1,2,26
U D G L E O N K S N G I R U B S R L X S R U I C E T O M W A N E V E L O W K P J P E A O H T P B A J I E W B I O L I F H W F V I V A U D M E P D M E F F R G O D J D N O X L A J A F E P T G A I Q M Z F S G Y R D R X R K X E J V I T F N U U R T B M M K B C H E P R R Z N B Y T R A D K N M N H W T O O L C M T N E H H E I F D E E P U E I U E U T X N I V S T M R A R S O G P T R T G E N T S N E I R A U J S G F E M R O F H D W O A G R F A N D L S S E N E K I L S O R H I C Y G E E H L H R I M A G E T L E U U I N M Y V A E S C G T V E V H G T F L T S Y I O C P A Y J A R N K E U Y E H T F C U M M W M V R Y Y D N M H G A P K M E V A H B O P E F Q A W G K M E K X E Y T F L T V T D N Y B Q K W A Y E Y W J A D H I X K A T C Q C R E A T E D Y F X Y J L G D E V Y S U K Z L C Z B D O S R E T A W L L T R O B
AFTER AIR BEGINNING CATTLE CREATED CREEPETH CREEPING DARKNESS DEEP DOMINION EARTH EVERY FACE FISH FORM
FOWL GOD HAVE HEAVEN IMAGE LET LIKENESS MAKE MAN MOVED OUR OVER SAID SEA SPIRIT THEM THING UPON VOID
WATERS WITHOUT
Scripture reading for today is found in Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." https://my.bible.com/bible/1/GEN.1.KJV In a previous blog we learned that Jesus was one of 3 persons involved in creation, according to John 1:1-3 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” https://my.bible.com/bible/1/JHN.1.KJV Today however, we are looking at the third member of the Godhead, who is also called, our comforter and the Spirit of truth, according to John 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” https://my.bible.com/bible/1/JHN.15.KJV I have heard people say that they Holy Spirit is not an individual person but rather God's "push" or active force here on earth. Let's look at a few scriptures to see what the Bible actually says about this matter. John 16:13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." and John 16:7 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:" https://my.bible.com/bible/1/JHN.16.KJV This is one of the clearest texts that I found in all of my research. Obviously when Jesus says that he is sending someone else called "The Comforter", Jesus is not speaking about Himself. The Bible clearly refers to the Holy Spirit as a "He". He was also involved in creation according to Genesis 1:2 (Which we read above) The Holy Spirit helps us, and is again called 'he' in Romans 8:26 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." https://my.bible.com/bible/1/ROM.8.KJV The Holy Spirit can be grieved. Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." https://my.bible.com/bible/1/EPH.4.KJV The Holy Spirit is a teacher. Luke 12:12 "for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say." https://my.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.12.KJV He was present not only at creation and in the New Testament but was also in the rest of the Old Testament. Isaiah 63:11 "Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?" https://my.bible.com/bible/1/ISA.63.KJV Also in Psalm 51:11 “Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me." https://my.bible.com/bible/1/PSA.51.KJV
While there is not a whole lot of verses that describe the Holy Spirit it is clear from scripture that the Holy Spirit is a third "person" in the Godhead. Notice that I did not say trinity. In the Catholic doctrine about the trinity, there is one being with three personalities, and that God the Father created Jesus, and that God and Jesus created the Holy Spirit. This is from their (Catholic) writings: "This is an intellectual “begetting,” and fittingly so, as a “word” proceeds from the knower while, at the same time remaining in the knower. Thus, this procession or begetting of the Son occurs within the inner life of God. There are not “two beings” involved; rather, two persons relationally distinct, while ever-remaining one in being. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, but not in a generative sense; rather, in a spiration. “Spiration” comes from the Latin word for “spirit” or “breath.” Jesus “breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit…” (John 20:22). Scripture reveals the Holy Spirit as pertaining to “God’s love [that] has been poured into our hearts” in Romans 5:5, and as flowing out of and identified with the reciprocating love of the Father for the Son and the Son for the Father (John 15:26; Rev. 22:1-2). Thus, the Holy Spirit’s procession is not intellectual and generative, but has its origin in God’s will and in the ultimate act of the will, which is love. As an infinite act of love between the Father and Son, this “act” is so perfect and infinite that “it” becomes (not in time, of course, but eternally) a “He” in the third person of the Blessed Trinity. The weakness, of course, is that in God each person possesses the one infinite and immutable divine nature, and is therefore, one being." www.catholic.com The Bible clearly does not teach this fallacy. There are 3 distinct individuals that are all God, they are co-eternal and have three different jobs to do. They are one in purpose, perfect and Holy. 1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” https://www.bible.com/bible/1/1JN.5.KJV
It has recently come to my attention that some people believe
that some of the scriptures used above are not valid. Make no mistake the KJV
is the most accurate translation. See: https://youtu.be/3HxddbanCqY?is=HbUTloN-menZEfWs for more info on that.
Because some might still argue, I will present some of what
EGW has to say on the topic. “The prince of the power of evil can only be held
in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy
Spirit.” SpTA10 37.1 “Christ gave His representative, the third person
of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.”
13LtMs, Ms 44, 1898, par. 11 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. 2
Corinthians 13:14. We need to realize that the Holy Spirit … is as much a
person as God is a person…. The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could
not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children
of God. He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out the
secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God.[69] The Holy Spirit is a free,
working, independent agency. The God of heaven uses His Spirit as it pleases
Him; and human minds, human judgment, and human methods can no more set
boundaries to its working, or prescribe the channel through which it shall operate,
than they can say to the wind, “I bid you to blow in a certain direction, and
to conduct yourself in such and such a manner.” [70] From the beginning God has
been working by His Holy Spirit through human instrumentalities for the
accomplishment of His purpose in behalf of the fallen race…. The same power
that sustained the patriarchs, that gave Caleb and Joshua faith and courage,
and that made the work of the apostolic church effective, has upheld God’s
faithful children in every succeeding age.[71] The Holy Spirit was the highest
of all gifts that He [Jesus] could solicit from His Father for the exaltation
of His people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without
this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail. The power of evil had
been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic
captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the
mighty agency of the third person of the Godhead, who would come with no
modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power.[72] The Holy Spirit is an
effective helper in restoring the image of God in the human soul.” [ FLB 52.1 –
FLB 52.7 “Although our Lord ascended from earth to heaven, the Holy Spirit was
appointed as His representative among men. “If ye love Me, keep My
commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another
Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit
of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not,,
neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with
you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless.” Cumbered with
humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was
altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His Father, and
send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself,
divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. Christ would
represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit,—as the
Omnipresent. ‘But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will
send in My name, He shall [although unseen by you] teach you all things,
and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. . .
. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away,
for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I
will send Him unto you’.”Mrs. E. G. White. PrT May 30, 1895, par. 7 – PrT
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